Mapping the Leaders in Macedonia and Albania: Can Elites Promote Positive Social Change?

1989 - 2009

Macedonia and Albania

The main aim of the project was to provide an insight into the processes of elite circulation in Macedonia and Albania over the last two decades. Primarily, the project was interested in the formation of two cohorts of elites – the ones who were in a high position in the social hierarchy at the time of the changes of the socialist regimes (approximately 1985 – 1990), and the ones who have climbed the ladder in the period from 2005 onwards. Finally, the project was interested in the examining shared values and attitudes between the representatives of the two cohorts of elites, and among the elites and the public.

In terms of the change of the people in power, the political transition resembled a period of a broader societal makeover. While the circulation of elites is a completed process that has helped in concluding the historical chapters and finalizing the epoch of communism, it raises more questions than provides answers for the future of Macedonia and Albania. Project results show differential dynamics and outcomes when it comes to political, economic and socio-cultural elites’ circulation in the countries under examination, as well as discrepancies between the attitudes of elites and the general population with regard to political, social and economic issues in the both countries.